Edge of Seventeen
by Love Is A Fast Song
Summary: Scarlett McCall has had enough with her sophomore year and it just started. No boyfriend and a crappy job are causing her to rethink her priorities. Unfortunately for her, reconnecting with her brother and old best friend doesn't end in happily ever after. It ends with monsters in the dark. Eventual Stiles/OC.
1. Chapter One

AN: I don't own Teen Wolf or Bruno Mars! Read and review!

**Chapter One**

It was loud in the bathroom with the water from my shower warming up and the music player blaring a track off the playlist Matt had made me a few months ago. We might not be a couple anymore, but he could make a damn good playlist and I was NOT about to waste a good mix, especially one with Bruno Mars.

_Never had much faith in love, or miraaaaaaacles _

Tomorrow was the first day of school and I had already fielded three calls from Lydia about my outfit choices. The bathroom floor was covered in tights and skirts; it was a disaster. Scott was not going to be happy when he wanders in here at 3am to pee. I pursed my lips and I let out a groan as I scooped up my clothing piles. I was NOT going to be happy when he wanders in and pees on my clothes in his sleepy state.

I was just about to step into the shower when I heard a loud thump outside the bathroom window. I turned the MP3 player off and wandered out into the hall. I clutched my cotton robe tighter around me, "Scott?"

My brother's shaggy head popped out from his doorway, eyes wide "Was that you?"

Huffing, I rolled my eyes "Yes, that's why I'm out here investigating the noise too"

He ignored my comment, grabbing the steel baseball bat from the hall closet as another thump resonated through the hallway. He crept down the stairs with the bat raised and I followed close behind him. It was probably just a raccoon. Or a giant squirrel. Or an ax murderer who was going to kill me in my robe. Fear crept into my throat as Scott slowly opened the front door, edging onto the porch. Whatever it was, I wasn't going to leave my twin to face it alone. I'd be the worst sister in the world, even if it meant my untimely demise covered in purple floral cotton. The cold fall air hit my bare legs and I grabbed onto the back of Scott's shirt, pulling myself closer to him. "Hello? Is anyone out here?" I called, my voice shaking slightly.

Suddenly, from the edge of the roof a figure swung down. I felt Scott jump under my fingers as I clawed onto him, screaming loudly as he swung the bat back and prepared to strike. He froze mid swing, lowering the bat.

"Stiles, what the hell are you doing? I thought you were a predator!" Scott shouted.

"You weren't answering your phone!" my head lifted out of Scott's back, releasing my death like vice on his shirt. My terror swiftly changed to anger upon making eye contact with the brown eyed best friend of my brother hanging upside-down from our trellis. His eyes grew wide upon meeting mine, "Uh hey Scarlett. nice uh night? You ready for school tomorrow…love the robe,"

"Stiles! You scared the crap out of me! What are you doing?" I demanded, one hand anchoring on my hip as I regained my confidence. I was not about to be murdered and I was furious.

Stiles' eyes shift to Scott, excitement evident on his face "I know it's late, but you gotta hear this. I saw my dad leave twenty minutes ago. Dispatched called. They're bringing in every officer from the department and even the state police!"

Beacon Hills was a quiet place, obviously there were issues, but this wasn't a "Sons of Anarchy" kind of Nor Cal. If they were calling in that many cops, it was something big. Whatever it was Stiles was trying to rope Scott into it. They still acted like they were nine years old.

"For what?" Scott asked, curiosity growing.

Stiles licked his lips before replying, "Two joggers found a body in the woods"

"A dead body?" I glanced at Scott sideways, eyebrows raising. I swear we are twins, definitely related. I guess I just sucked all the common sense out of him in the womb.

"No, a body of water. Yes, dumbass, a dead body!" Stiles exclaimed, wiggling back at forth. He reached up towards his feet to try to free himself, but before he could his shoes slipped free and sent him crashing to the porch. I started to kneel to help Stiles to his feet, but he wildly jumped up adjusting his plaid shirt and hoodie. He smiled widely at me, "I'm good!"

"Hold on. If they found a body, what are they looking for now?" Scott inquired. I looked back to Stiles, "Well?"

He was positively beaming. "That's the best part. They only found half."

Scott grinned back at him and they high-fived. I groaned, "You two are disgusting. There's some poor dead girl out there and you're high-fiving. Let me guess, you're going to go Sherlock out the other half?"

The two of them stood there silently and that's all the confirmation I needed. Idiots. I shook my head and walked back into the house, shivering from standing out in the fall air for so long. The boys followed me inside, now talking in hushed voices behind me on the stairs. I peaked in Mom's room to see she was sprawled out on her bed, still in her scrubs. She always was a sound sleeper when she was home between shifts and I was thankful Stiles and his idiotic entrance didn't wake her. I leaned against her door once closed, narrowing my eyes as Scott sat on his bed tying his shoes. Stiles loitered in the doorway, shifting from foot to foot. He pointed at the bathroom door, "There's water running"

Oh crap, my shower. I ran into the bathroom, yanking back the shower curtain and stuck a hand under the water. Ice cold. "Damn it!" I hissed under my breath and turned the water off. I yanked my cell off the MP3 player where I had abandoned it, noting the 2 missed calls and 5 text messages from Lydia. She was going to love picking me up later than her perfectly scheduled time in the morning thank to my rescheduled shower.

"Thank you Stiles. I was going to take a nice long shower before bed, but now the water has run cold thanks to your murderer noises"

Scott appeared behind Stiles, zipping up his hoodie. "Take a cold shower then Scarlett" I growled at him and he just grinned back. Having a brother was such a pain in the ass, especially one who was so different than I was.

I stormed past them into my room, closing the door. Still mad about how my night turned out I wrenched open the door just as the two of them were starting down the stairs. "Try not to become bodies number two and three, shall we?"

"Thanks for the concern sis!" Scott smiled back before disappearing into the dark. I huffed, flopping back onto my bed and finally glancing at my phone. I had been kidding about Scott getting hurt at the Beacon Hills Reserve, but the worry was gnawing at me. I should stay up to see if they find anything. My phone buzzed again with a new text. I knew I should reply, but before I could hit send my eyes grew heavy and my phone slid out of my hands onto the floor. Lydia, my shower, and whatever Scott found in the woods would have to wait till morning.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Something wasn't right. I jolted awake with the feeling of uneasiness creeping in. It was still pitch black out and the house was totally silent. Something definitely wasn't right; I couldn't hear Scott's thunderous snores from the room beside mine. I fished for my phone over the side of the bed and saw two missed calls from Stiles. I hit the CALL button as I shimmed into jeans, phone pressed between my shoulder and my ear. I wasn't going to wait around for the two of them to come home. I was taking Mom's car and going to the the woods to bring them home. Stiles' phone only rang once before he picked up.

"Scarlett, we have a problem!" Stiles shouted through the phone.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Where's Scott?" I panicked, running down the stairs and snatching Mom's keys off the kitchen counter. If I thought it had been cold when we were outside earlier, I was wrong. It was positively freezing and starting to sprinkle. Starting the engine, I switched to my other ear with the phone, cranking the heater and pressing my hands against the vents. "My Dad caught me in the Reserve, but Scott was hiding so he didn't get escorted back to the Jeep with me. I had to leave and I can't go back to find Scott! His phone is dead and I'm freaking out"

"You just left him there?" I squawked, backing out of the driveway and heading down the road. Scott was alone in the woods with a murderer who liked to cut bodies in half. Oh God, why did I tease him before he left? It was about ten miles from my house to Beacon Hills Reserve and I was pushing the 45 MPH speed limit as much as my Mom's beat up Corolla could.

"I had to! If I'd said he was with me then we would both be in trouble!"

"But now he's wandering around out there with Jason Voorhees, Stiles!"

I could practically see Stiles running a hand over his face as he sighed worriedly, "I know! I know! Oh shit, my phone is dying. Just meet me at the old Texaco 2 miles from the Reserve and I can explain where-" three beeps signaled the call was over. I tossed my phone onto the passenger seat as my fingers drummed against the steering wheel anxiously. Soon I could see the former gas station on the right hand side of the road, blue Jeep and twitchy boy pacing in front of it. I pulled up next to the Jeep, throwing the car in park and opening the door. Stiles nearly pulled me out of the car, "Hey!"

He released my wrist, hands up in the air in silent apology and resumed pacing. My anger at being grabbed dissipated quickly; Stiles was feeling beyond guilty for leaving Scott behind. He had always been a constant blur of motion ever since Scott and I had met him in Kindergarten, but his anxiety was peaking at the moment. I reached out to stop his pacing with my hand on his chest, "Stiles! I'm sure Scott is fine. He's tougher than we think." I wasn't sure if I was reassuring myself or Stiles, but it seemed to calm him down. Stiles nodded and thankfully stopped pacing, but he was still wringing his hands.

"I'm sorry I dragged him into this. And now you're out here…" he was starting to trail off again and my bare arms were covered in goosebumps. I shifted my weight to one side, rubbing my hands up and down my arms. "Where did you two get separated? If I start there I should run into him right?"

"Just North of the running trail where it passes that big ridge?" I knew where he was talking about. I was on the track team and jogged that trail every season. During Lacrosse conditioning sometimes the boys ran it with me, and by that I mean wheezing fifteen feet behind me. I nodded, starting to open my door to get in the car when Stiles stopped me. He unzipped his hoodie, draping it over my shoulders with a small smile. "Text me when you find him"

I gave him a grateful smile, slipping my arms into the sleeves and zipping up the hoodie. Stiles sheepishly smiled back and for a moment it was like old times. Like before we went into eighth grade, before I became popular, before we stopped being friends. The sprinkling had now become a full on rain and I yanked the hood of Stiles' jacket over my head as we both ducked in our respective cars. I cranked the window down to reply.

"Of course. Yeah, I'll text you"

"Great. Uh, good luck. Tell him I'm sorry would you?"

I nodded, starting the car and returning to the highway. I was nearly to the turn off for the trail parking when I spotted a figure on the side of the road waving their arms over their head. Slowing the car, I pulled along the embankment. "Scott!" I shouted, squinting through the rapidly moving windshield wipers. The figure stepped in front of the headlights of my car, forearm shielding their eyes from the lights. "Scarlett?" It was Scott! I reached over the passenger seat and unlocked the door as he hurried around to the side of the car, launching himself in. My eyes roamed over my soaking wet brother, looking for anything wrong. "Are you okay?" I worried, flinging my arms around him in a tight hug across the gear shift. I felt him tense under my embrace and I pulled away. He wordlessly lifted the side of his shirt, exposing his side and a nasty looking bite mark.

My face pulled into a shocked grimace and he pulled his shirt back down, leaning back heavily into the seat. "It came out of nowhere, like a wolf or something. Just bit me and ran!"

"Jesus! Should we go to the ER or just have Mom look at it when we get home? You could have rabies!" I worried, pulling back out on to the highway towards home. He was silent for a moment and I wasn't sure if I should be making a u-turn back to the hospital. The thought of wolves not being in California sprung to mind, but I pushed it away. Now was not the time to correct my injured twin. "Neither. I don't want her to freak out like you are right now. I just want to forget tonight happened."

"Scott!"

"I'll be fine!" he snapped, "I'll just put some Neosporin on it!"

I didn't need to reply for him to know how stupid I thought that idea was, but it was his choice. At least for now. I was going to give him twenty four hours to deal with it on his own, and if he started running a fever or foaming at the mouth I was telling Mom. We drove in silence the rest of the way home. When I put the car into park in the driveway, neither of us made a move to unbuckle our seat belts. It was then it hit me how tired I was and glancing at the clock on the dashboard, I had 4 hours till I had to be up to get ready for school. I tilted my head back on the headrest, rolling it towards Scott. He mimicked my motion, "Thanks for rescuing me sis."

I smiled, "Of course Scotty."

Scott returned the smile, unbuckling his seatbelt as he gingerly got out of the car. I locked the car and followed him into the house and up the stairs, kicking off my shoes in the hallway. He was halfway into his room before he paused, turning around in the doorway. "Is that Stiles' jacket?" he asked with a smirk.

"What?" Oh, right. I glanced down, tugging on the drawstrings of the hood. I'd nearly forgotten the oversized jacket I was wearing wasn't my own. Or Matt's. My heart clenched a bit at the thought. "Yeah. He called me after his Dad caught him to come help find you. It was raining and I didn't have a coat so he let me borrow it."

Scott's smirk grew into a grin and I got of of the hoodie as fast as I could, throwing it at Scott's face. "Shut up!" I hissed, stalking into my room and getting out of my rain dampened clothes. As I snuggled into bed my head was racing with the events of the night. I shook my head to shake the thoughts out and double checked my alarm. The morning would be a new day, new school year and nothing was going to stop me from enjoying it.

**AN: Sorry for the short first two chapters! They were originally all one chapter, but the Doc Manager wouldn't upload the full document! Depending on what time I get out of work tonight and tomorrow, I should have another chapter up fairly soon! R&R! And thank you to my story followers/favorites! :)**


	3. Chapter Three

Jackson was an asshole. My best friend's boyfriend, but still an asshole. Which is why for the last ten minutes, he had been honking his Porsche in my driveway. Hobbling to the window with one brown heeled bootie on I lifted the window, "KNOCK IT OFF WHITTEMORE! GIVE ME A MINUTE!" I screeched, slamming the window and finishing lacing up my second shoe. I paused in front of my full length mirror, cream cable knit sweater, burgundy mini skirt, brown heeled booties; I needed to look extra good today. Scarlett McCall was not devastated over a breakup. Scarlett McCall was better than stupid Matt Daehler and she didn't need him anymore. At least that's what everyone would be thinking since I broke him with him.

There was another honk from Jackson and I quickly fingered loose a few curls from my loose side ponytail to finish my hair. Fully satisfied with everything, I grabbed my book bag and coat. Pausing in front of Scott's doorway I was surprised to see him already gone for school. He hadn't let me look at the bite again during breakfast and now was out of the house before I could ask how he was feeling. If he felt well enough to ride his bike to school, he must be doing okay.

Jackson had his window rolled down, arm leaning on the ledge and he sized me up, smirking. "Looking good McCall" a compliment, how unlike Jackson. "Did you really need to waste fifteen minutes of my time this morning? Lydia is going to kill you" and there is it. I slid into the practically non existent backseat, leaning forward, "And you will mesmerize her with your chiseled jawline and she won't even realize we are late"

He laughed, reversing out of the driveway and toward's Lydia's house. The ride was silent, as usual. Unless it was swim season, the two of us didn't have much in common besides Lydia. They'd been dating since the end of eighth grade and last year I was co-captain of the swim team at Beacon Hills High. Our extreme sense of athleticism was our bond. "Are you excited for practice today? Scott said a lot of new guys are trying out."

Jackson snorted, his lip curling into a sneer as he cast a quick glance at me in the rear view mirror. "Scott who?" I rolled my eyes, "I'm Captain, not a lot is going to change for me."

"You know who Scott is. Don't be such a douche, it's the first day of school!" I chastised as we pulled up to Lydia's house. Thankfully, she was already outside so her neighborhood wasn't subjected to the honking musical sensation that was Jackson Whittemore. Her tiny, yet powerful strides got her to the car quickly and she slid into the passenger seat, not acknowledging my presence till at least two minutes of kissing with Jackson. I faked gagged, breaking the two of them apart. Just because I was used to this didn't mean I wanted to start my morning that way.

Lydia cast me a steely look, "You're late and I know it's not because of Jackson doing his hair."

Jackson shot me an "I told you so" in the mirror and I flipped him off. Turning back to Lydia, I put my hands up in apology. "I'm sorry! I was up super late last night and the morning got away from me!"

"Late night?" she paused, considering for a moment before a wicked grin crossed her face, "With a boy?"

Technically yes, I was searching for my brother and nearly being scared to death by his best friend. It's not what she was looking for, but after two weeks of her trying to set me up with half a dozen guys, I was over it. I shrugged at her casually, "Maybe."

Her smile was triumphant like she'd won a prize, "I knew it!"

"You're coming to practice today, right babe?" Jackson asked Lydia. She smiled, placing her hand on hand on his leg as she leaned over for a kiss. I made a mental note to not be so PDA happy in my next relationship. "Of course! Scarlett too, right?"

I nodded, sighing internally at my lack of texts from Scott. The bite he'd received last night was gruesome and if I knew anything about Scott, it was that his first aid skills were severely lacking. I guess it came from having Super Nurse Mom to fix all our wounds. I jumped when Jackson slammed his door, shouting something angrily at someone in the school parking lot. Lydia and I exchanged a look and got out of the car. Even with me running behind we were still early.

Lydia linked arms with me, handing Jackson the two books she'd brought in the car and started towards the school. Jackson followed behind us, but was quickly stopped by a portion of the lacrosse team. I was thankful as I had gotten my fill of him on the car ride. He handed Lydia back her books and jogged towards his friends. Lydia squeezed my arm, bringing me back to focus on her.

"Now tell me about last night. It wasn't Matt was it? God, I swear you better not be having sex with your ex," she exclaimed far too loudly for being in the front of the school.

"Yes, I was having a wild, passionate night of sex last night. Dirty, smutty, kitchen counter sex," I replied in a sultry tone. I faintly heard my name being called and I tore my gaze away from Lydia's disapproving frown to look over my shoulder. We'd walked right past Scott and I hadn't even noticed him. Scott signaled for me to turn around then turned to his right to swat Stiles in the chest. He'd been standing there slack jawed staring after us. Stiles closed his mouth and straightened up, muttering something angrily at Scott. Scott pointed beside him to come back and I tried to turn, but Lydia's grip tightened on my arm.

She shook her head, red hair tousling softly over her shoulders. "You can talk to your brother at break. Right now we have class."

The bell rang and we were surrounded by other students. Lydia began to lead me into her home room when I stopped, unlinking arms with her. She frowned at me inquisitively. "What's the deal Scarlett?"

I fished through my messenger bag and held up my class schedule, "I'm not in your home room this year. I'm with Henderson."

"Whatever. I'll see you in PE," and with that she strut off into the classroom. I pivoted as the warning bell rang, quickly darting down the hallway towards Mr. Henderson's classroom. A figure appeared on my left, keeping in stride with me as I hurried along. "Please tell me you aren't really back together with Matt."

I looked up at Danny, sputtering. He grinned back, "I take that as a no? Thank God, I was worried for your sanity for a minute."

"Where did you hear we were back together?" I hesitated in front of my homeroom door. Danny walked backwards to the classroom across the hallway. "Lydia." I shook my head and rolled my eyes. I'd been separated from her for less than five minutes and already the rumor mill was flying. "100% untrue! Pass it along if you wish" I waved to Danny, entering the classroom and closing the door behind me.

I hurriedly slid into a seat towards the back as the final bell rang, hoping I wouldn't be considered tardy. "Pst!"

I glanced up from digging through my bag for a pen and was surprised to see Scott in the row beside me two seats ahead. "You didn't tell me we shared a homeroom!" he hissed.

I shrugged wildly, "Neither did you!" I shot back. I glanced up quickly to ensure that Mr. Henderson still had his back to the class, not that he cared to actually pay attention to his students anyway.

"As you all know, there was indeed a body found in the woods last night. And I'm sure your eager little minds are coming up with various macabre scenarios as to what happened, but I am here to tell you that the police have a suspect in custody,"

Scott turned his back to me, exchanging a look with Stiles, who I had just noticed beside him. He turned in his seat and gave me an eager wave and I returned it hesitantly, quickly scanning to see if anyone else in the room had seen the exchange. We weren't exactly on the same social standing anymore. That sounded awful, even if it was true. I looked back up at Stiles again and thankfully he was looking the paper on his desk. When was the last time I'd waved at him at school? Hell, even spoken to him at school? I couldn't remember and it made me feel sick. Ever since Lydia decided to become the most popular girl in school and me second most popular by association, the friendships I'd had with Scott and Stiles had totally changed. I loved my best friend and I did like being popular, but what was so wrong with the two of them anyway that I couldn't still be friends with them?

"What are you doing?" a hissed whisper snapped. Jackson's voice shook me out of my haze and I shrugged at him a few aisles away. "Contacts" I whispered back, blinking several times dramatically for affect.

"So you can give your undivided attention to the syllabus, which is on your desk outlining the semester." Mr. Henderson finished.

I skimmed over the syllabus, twirling my pen absentmindedly my right hand. I'd talk to Lydia at lunch about my old friends becoming my current friends. This was a new year and I was going to be the best person I could be. Being worried to wave at Stiles Stilinski wasn't the kind of person I wanted to be.

The door to the classroom opened and the Principal stepped in followed by a tall brunette. She shyly smiled at the class, eyeballing the seat beside me. Alison Argent, she was introduced as and I was excited to potentially make a new friend. I met her gaze and smiled confidently at her as she slid into her seat. I shifted in my desk to introduce myself, but before I could get a word out, Scott wordlessly turned around and handed the new girl a pen and turned back around.

She smiled inquisitively at the pen in her hand, then at the shaggy back of Scott's hair. He leaned back in his desk and I was shocked by his confidence with the beautiful new girl. I scribbled a quick note of "_hey_" onto a piece of paper, balling it up and tossing it into Alison's lap. She jumped at the flying paper, unfolding it quickly under her desk. She smiled and began to reply, tossing it back quickly.

_Is the cute guy in front of me psychic or what? I totally needed a pen._ I pressed a hand to my mouth to smother my cackle of laughter. Alison Argent was going to be a very good friend indeed.

English quickly passed with Alison and I tossing notes back and forth for most of the class. I found out she was from San Francisco, but not originally and was a sucker for James Bond movies(Sean Connery, she had good taste). I didn't share any more classes with her till my last two, PE and Chem, so we bid farewell till lunch. I found her standing somewhat cornered against her locked by my favorite red head and jock. They were inviting her to the party at Lydia's this Friday and she was failing miserably to bail out. "Lydia! Stop hustling poor Alison! She has a family thing that night, I already asked her to the party, didn't I?" I shot her a look and she nodded, brown curls bouncing. "Yeah, I wish I could though."

Lydia seemed convinced enough, "You have to come to lacrosse practice after school at least!"

Alison looked to me and I nodded emphatically, "Yes! It'l be fun, I swear."

"Alright, I'm in. What's lacrosse? Is it like football?" she asked and Jackson scoffed at her, throwing an arm around her shoulders and leading her towards the lunchroom while beginning to dive into the wonders of lacrosse. Alison peaked over Jackson's arm helplessly back towards us and Lydia waved them on, closing Alison's forgotten locker door. I knew this was my chance to bring up hanging out with Scott.

"Would you be opposed to me hanging out with Scott more?" I blurted out as we entered the lunch room. She gave me a questioning look as we entered the lunch line, grabbing trays and sliding along. She didn't reply while we chose our lunch items and it was making me nervous. Lydia finally looked up at me as we paid, "What's brought this on?"

"I think I miss being a twin. I feel like I've been a shitty sister the last two years. We used to be best friends and now we're practically strangers."

Jackson and Alison were not at our usual table when we sat down and I was thankful to finish my conversation without negative snips from Jackson. Lydia stabbed at her salad, leaning around me to look at something. I looked over my shoulder to see Scott and Stiles eating lunch at the end of a table across the room. Stiles was animatedly telling a story while Scott howled with laughter.

"So all of a sudden you want to go sit with those two again?" she confirmed and I nodded, "I didn't even know Scott was in my homeroom. I don't know anything about him anymore."

Her gaze softened and it was like I was sitting with outside of school Lydia. The one that doesn't try to cover up how much of a genius she is and wore her hair in a messy bun. "I get that. I think I'd understand more if I wasn't an only child, but I you two were close," she pointed her fork over my shoulder at the pair, "You know the spastic friend is in love with you, right? You want to be friends with that?"

I felt my cheeks grow warm and I shook my head violently. "No no no noo! He's had a crush on you Lydia! Like, since third grade!"

"Whatever you say. Where the hell did Jackson and the new girl go?" and like that she had moved on, searching the room for her boyfriend. I pointed to a huddle of the lacrosse team around a table. Jackson was introducing an uncomfortable looking Alison to the team with his arm still around her shoulders. Lydia huffed, taking her anger out on her salad a little too aggressively as a cherry tomato bounced onto the floor. I knew she didn't want to discuss it so I ate the rest of my lunch with her in silence. I knew better than to poke the angry bear. Finally Alison was able to slip away and sat beside me. "Lydia, your boyfriend is nice, but remind me to not go anywhere with him ever again," she huffed, biting into her sandwich that she'd pulled out of her bag.

Lydia smiled at her, "Noted. So you're still on for practice after school?"

"Just as long as I don't have to talk to the whole team again."

I took one more glance over my shoulder at Scott before turning back to Alison with a grin. "Oh, there's one player you might be interested in talking to." Now I just had to hope that Scott had gotten better since the last practice I'd watched, or else my rekindling of sibling-hood was going to backfire all over me.


	4. Chapter Four

The lacrosse team was already heading out onto the field when we arrived. Lydia gave a flirty wave to Jackson as she climbed the bleachers, Alison and I trailing behind her. The wind was picking up and I had to bat one of Lydia's long, red curls out of my face. I pulled out a beanie from my messenger bag and pulled it down over my ears. Alison mimicked me and it seemed like Lydia was the only one unprepared for the cold. Grinning, I pulled a second beanie from my bag and handed it to her. "I've been blind to the cold lately, so I'm trying to be crazy prepared."

Lydia beamed as she put it on, arranging her curls. "Have I told you I loved you today?" she joked, giving me a side hug. I returned it, pulling Alison it on my other side. "New friends can have a hug too!"

The Cyclones moved around on the field waiting to start. Jackson was jogging in place with his best friend Danny while he gave Lydia the occasional glance. He was a tough guy, but he had a hardcore soft spot for his girlfriend and apparently he thought his helmet masked it enough to stare at her during practice. It was kinda sweet actually since they were big fans of PDA, but not of romantic sentiments. I spied the back of Matt's jersey as he started to head toward's the field and I tensed. I'd successfully avoided him all day, but how much longer could I really do that? We'd broken up nearly three weeks ago. He had to be over it by now, right? I felt Alison tap my leg to get my attention and I peeled my eyes away from my ex-boyfriend.

"So Lacrosse is like field hockey?" Alison questioned. Obviously Jackson didn't do a great job explaining the sport if she still had questions.

"Sort of? The sticks are weird, but it makes sense when you see it in action," Alison nodded at Lydia's comment, seemingly content. I scanned the players for my brother and was surprised to see him glancing over towards the stands. I waved at him with a smile, but didn't get a wave back. I looked to my right at Alison, then back at Scott. They were both staring at each other with interest and my wave snapped Alison out of her daze, her brown eyes widening.

"Why are you waving at him? Do you know him?"

I smirked as Lydia sighed loudly, "I should hope she does. She lives with him."

Our new friend's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "He's my brother. Twin, technically."

Alison groaned into her hands, "Oh my god, I told you your brother was cute. I am so great at making new friends."

I patted her knee, "Relax. New friends can help with new boyfriends if you want. Not that you need it, Scott was practically mesmerized by you."

She pulled her hands off her face, a smile growing. "Scott" she said as if testing it out.

I rolled my eyes at her and turned back to the field as Coach blew the whistle. It took me a moment to realize Scott was in the goal and not Danny. I hadn't been BFF's with him lately, but I was pretty sure he didn't become great at goalie over the summer. Scott clutched his head as a player ran at him, hurling the ball and it bounced off his helmet, knocking him to his back. What the hell was that? Coach's laugh boomed over the field as the rest of the players joined in, jeering at Scott. Scott lifted his head, clearly embarrassed by what happened. He stood up, shaking off the hit as another player ran at him.

The ball left the pocket of the other player and was caught by Scott smoothly. I was momentarily stunned, never having seen Scott actually catch a ball with the pocket before. He seemed equally, if not more shocked, staring down at it with amazement.

"Yeah!" came a shout of support from the bench, from who else but Stiles. The lineup of players gawked around each other at my brother and his catch. Hopefully it wasn't a lucky catch, as Alison was now even more interested.

Player after player ran at Scott, each time he caught the ball with ease. I clapped and cupped my hands around my mouth to shout, "Go Scott!"

"He seems like he's good" Alison observed casually.

Lydia perched on the edge of her seat with a curiosity she didn't normally have for Scott. "Very good" she nodded. She turned towards me, "Has he been practicing a lot this summer? With a trainer?"

I shook my head, "Mom could never afford a trainer. I think he's practiced a lot though," I shrugged. I wish I knew more about the mysterious lacrosse skills he'd seemed to get overnight. Scott bounced with excitement in the goal, freezing in place when Jackson walked to the front of the line with aggressive determination. He was clearly not going to be shown up Scott.

"We'll see how good he is now. Jackson is the best,"

Lydia was right on the money and I nervously bit my thumb nail, watching as Jackson ran towards Scott, hurling the ball at the goal with a leap. Scott twisted in the goal, the ball catching in his net just like the dozens of times before. I jumped to my feet, screaming loudly. Lydia had joined me and both of us cheered for Scott, clapping wildly. I was unbelievably proud of him, but then I suddenly remembered bite. How was he doing so well at lacrosse and not in pain? Scott was still busy in the goal so I had to talk to the only person who would know what was going on with him.

"I'll be right back." I told the girls and I climbed down over the bleachers and strode towards Stiles. He was still jumping and shouting for Scott when I clamped a hand down on his shoulder. He let out a strangled cry of surprise and fell to the grass in a flurry of burgundy. He was never very coordinated. Stiles jumped to his feet quickly, cheeks turning pink at his embarrassing display. "Hey! Can you believe what we just saw!?"

I smiled, shaking my head. "No, I can't. Especially with that bite he's got on his side,"

Stiles was no longer smiling, "Awe jeez, he showed it to you?"

"Not since last night. I just hope he's not secretly bleeding out under his jersey."

"I'm sure he's okay Scarlett. I mean, he seems okay," he assured. We both looked to Scott who smugly tossed the ball into the assistant coach's net, stunning him. I nodded, but I still couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong with Scott. The bite or something else. "Can you just keep an eye on him for me?" I asked.

"Yeah! Definitely! Two eyes even!" his head bobbed in agreement. I smiled and turned back to the bleachers towards my friends. I paused, looking over my shoulder at him. "Hey Stiles?"

He paused from gathering up his gear, "Thanks for the jacket last night. You're a good friend," and before he could reply I ran back to my spot on the bleachers. Lydia handed me my bag and we bid farewell to Alison. She started towards the parking lot, fishing around in her bag. Glancing over my shoulder at her boyfriend, who was staring after us looking none too pleased. "Aren't we waiting for Jackson?"

"Nope. My mom dropped my car off earlier. The brakes are all fixed so we don't have to rely on him for rides anymore."

I dramatically lifted my arms to the sky, "Thank you Jesus!" I exclaimed. Lydia playfully swatted at me, "He's not that bad."

I slid into her blue car, "You only feel that way because he's your boyfriend. To the rest of us he's moderately tolerable at best. Don't get me started on the musical number he gave my neighborhood this morning with his car horn."

"I love Jackson. He's just got a hard exterior for everyone," she reasoned and I held my hands up in defeat. "I know, I know."

I leaned back into my seat, watching the trees race by as we passed the Reserve. She'd put on a Marina & the Diamonds CD, but I wasn't really listening to the song. My thoughts flooded back to Scott again and it was like Lydia could hear them. She turned down the stereo and took a quick sideways glance at me. "So how is reconnecting with your brother going?"

"I think somethings up with him. He got lost in the Reserve last night and I had to go get him. Something bit him, I don't know what 's what I was up so late doing, tracking him down with Stiles. He works tonight, but I'm demanding to see the bite when he gets home," I nervously twisted the end of my ponytail as I vented to her.

"What if it's infected and he's getting adrenaline rushes to his heart right before he dies? And that's why he was so amazing at practice?"

Lydia rolled her eyes, "That's ridiculous. If it was infected he would be getting weaker from his body shutting down. Don't you pay attention in science?"

"Not all of us are geniuses like Lydia Martin," she hmm'd in agreement. We pulled up to my house just as the sun was setting and after a promise to be ready on time in the morning, Lydia was headed home. After changing into leggings and a loose t-shirt I'd found in the laundry basket, I started on my homework. There thankfully wasn't that much from the first day, save from Mr. Harris. Even on the easiest school day of the year he had to load us up with fifteen pages of reading. I was nearly finished when my stomach growled and I realized it was past dinner time. Mom was working an overnight shift so it was up to me to fix dinner.

I dug through the fridge to find chicken that had nearly reached it's expiration so I coated it with some seasoning and starting sautéing it on the stove. Tossing a bag of frozen veggies in the microwave, I leaned back on the counter as the chicken finished and flipped through my phone, texting Alison about meeting up before English in the quad tomorrow. She hadn't replied and I was just starting to worry we'd scared her off when my phone beeped.

_I have SO much to tell you in the morning! See you before class :) _

**I am living vicariously through Lydia so I can't wait! **I replied, sliding my phone back on the counter. I heard the front door shut and I poked my head out from the kitchen. "Scott?"

He came into view, soaking wet from the rain, but he didn't look upset about it at all. Instead he looked strangely pleased. Scott eyed the chicken on the stove hungrily and I pointed at the kitchen table for him to sit while I plated it.

"Have I said how much we need a car? Riding my bike in the rain sucks," he bemoaned, stabbing at his broccoli.

"That's why we are working! To get a car!" I replied, digging into my own dinner. I eyed him as he wolfed down the food on his plate before I could even cut my first piece of chicken. He paused from inhaling his food, frowning at me. "Wut?" he asked with a mouthful of food.

I pointed my fork at him, "You are acting to freaking weird. When did you get so good at goalie? You totally owned Jackson today out there,"

Scott shrugged, "I practiced a lot with Stiles this summer, not that you'd know that."

My eyebrows shot into my hairline at his dig and I felt my cheeks burn. He was right, so I told him so. "You're right," he stared at me quizzically, clearly he hasn't heard that too often. "I'm sorry I've been such a shit sister. I want to be a better one and a better friend. To you and Stiles."

"So not such a bitch?"

"Scott!" I admonished, but a smile crept onto his face and I could tell he was kidding. Sort of anyway. I tossed my napkin at him and he caught it before it hit, tossing it back at me. He put his plate in the sink while I finished eating and put the leftovers in the fridge for Mom. Scott pulled out his Chemistry homework with a groan and I nodded towards my finished papers on the counter. "Go for it."

He shook his head, "Man, you are serious! And you say I'm the one being weird!"

"You are! You have a serious wound, which by the way you need to show me right now, and kicked ass on the field today! I already had Lydia discredit my crazy idea about adrenaline rushing to your heart before you die!"

"Hey that's what I thought too! Stiles shot it down and basically told me I'm turning into a werewolf," Scott didn't look up from my notes as he copied them down. "Uh Scotty?"

His shaggy head lifted with a guilty look, "I don't want to show it to you Scarlett."

We stared at each other in a stalemate and I suddenly jumped from the table, running at Scott with the attempt to lift his shirt. He dodged me effortlessly, "No!"

"Show it to me!" I screeched, chasing him around the dinner table and up the stairs. He was in his room with the door locked before I even cleared the landing. I pounded on his door, "How the hell are you so fast? I'm going to tell Mom when she gets home that you're delusional with infection and you'll have to show me!"

"Just go to bed Scarlett! Don't worry about it!" he shouted back. I stormed into my room and crawled into bed. Here I was, trying to mend our relationship and he was defensive over nothing! My mind whirled with possibilities of what was going on with him. Holy crap, what if he was on steroids? That would explain the sudden appearance of the pull up bar in his doorway and the lacrosse skills. There was no way with his asthma he would have beaten me up the stairs like he did. I flipped off the light and resolved to figure out what was wrong with him in the morning, with or without his permission.

AN: Hello to my new followers/favorites! I have the second part of this chapter going up before Sunday! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Read and review. :)


	5. Chapter Five

It was too early for my alarm to be going off, but it was going off anyway. I threw an arm towards the annoyance to silence it and laid in bed, slipping back into my deep sleep. Before I could return to my dreams I jolted upright, looking at the glowing red numbers indicating four AM on the nightstand and remembered why the alarm had been set. I was going to investigate Scott's bite in his sleep and potentially be a super snoop and dig through his backpack. I tip toed through our shared bathroom and slowly turned the doorknob to his bedroom. Thankfully he'd unlocked it before going to bed, otherwise I was going to have to get creative with my mission. Unfortunately my mission was for nothing, as his bed was completely empty. It took me a moment to process my missing brother before I ran out into the hall towards Mom's room. I was done covering for Scott's weirdness the last few days, our Mom needed to know her son was probably on drugs.

Her room was empty as well and I remembered she wouldn't be home till seven before I left for school. I couldn't let this opportunity to search Scott's room without him there go to waste, so I ran back into his room. I wasn't sure when he'd be back, but I needed to try to find something indicating what kind of drugs he was doing. My heart ached at the thought of him being involved with something like that and I felt the heavy weight of guilt weighing on me. Maybe if I'd been a better sister he wouldn't have had to turn to drugs. Did Stiles do drugs? Where was he getting them? Ransacking his drawers left me with nothing and I lifted his mattress. Nothing but dirty socks and porn; I dropped the mattress back down hastily.

I returned to my room and proceeded to send a furious text to Scott expressing my disappointment in him. Seconds later I heard his text tone and it was then I noticed his phone laying on his nightstand. He left in the middle of the night and didn't even take his phone? My head swirled with ideas and scenarios of what he was involved with. I started to feel sick so I rolled onto his bed. My eyes wandered to a photo of he and I on top of his dresser. We were maybe in fourth grade and we were engaged in a water gun fight on the front lawn. Moving to the dresser I lifted the picture, feeling my eyes water at the memory. In the background were two figures, blurry,but still visible. Mom and Mrs. Stilinski had bought us water guns that day. A few days later Stiles' mom went to the hospital and never came home.

I crawled back into Scott's bed with the photo, hugging it tightly to my chest as I pulled the blankets over me. It didn't matter what Scott was involved in, I was going to help him. We would have done anything for each other at the time in the photo and I knew we could get back to that place if I tried hard enough to repair the damage I had done. The heaviness of my eyes from crying forced me to close them and I drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Scott hadn't returned home by the time Lydia picked me up for school in the morning and I was in no mood to talk. Lydia filled the ride with information about her upcoming party and I was grateful she didn't ask what was the matter.

She turned to me after she'd parked her car, "I'm going to let you do…whatever you need to do. There's clearly something going on in that head of your's so I'll see you at lunch! Text me if you need me," and with a quick hug she was gone.

I watched her walk towards the school, a trail of guys following her at a safe distance. I assumed Jackson was nearby to cause that precaution in Lydia admiring, but he wasn't the boy I was looking for. My intended target had pulled up to the bike rack and was kneeling down while locking his bike.

I darted out of Lydia's car, locking the door and sprinting towards my brother. It was like he heard me coming, because he stood moments before I reached him, turning to face me with a scowl on his face. "What?" he shouted, throwing his hands out on either side of him.

I crossed my arms and lifted my chin, he was not going to win this fight. "What do you mean "what?"? Where the hell were you last night? Your room was empty and you left your phone!"

He shook his head, clearly not wanting to have anymore of the conversation and started to walk away. I pulled my bag over my head and across my body as I followed him. "Scott!"

"Scarlett, you're being really annoying lately and I can't deal with it! I've got a lot on my mind and you're messing with my focus," he snapped as I leveled up beside him.

I scoffed at him, "I'm messing with your focus? Are you trying out for the Olympic team or something? I'm just worried about you! Can't you stop trying to be good at lacrosse and whatever else you're doing for ten seconds and talk to me?"

We'd reached our classroom, but stood outside by the lockers. Both of us had our arms crossed as we exchanged identical glares. Allison and Stiles had both passed us into the classroom and noted the tension in the air, quickly deciding to wait till class to speak to us.

"That's just it! You're good at track and swimming! You're already popular and get dates! I'm starting to get all that and I don't know why you can't just be happy for me!"

I knew Scott was jealous of my lack of asthma, but he'd never said anything about being jealous of the rest of my life before. The anger that had bubbled in my chest was lessening and I could tell his was too. He moved his arms and held onto the straps of his backpack, shifting his weight back and forth.

"I'm sorry…I just feel like lately you've been different and I know I'm not exactly the expert on you anymore, but I know something is up with you, I haven't lost all my twin powers!"

The corner of his mouth turned up in a small smile and I continued, "I am happy for you! Allison texted me last night about you taking her to the party tonight! I talked you up so much, even if I do think you're on drugs because I am trying to be a better sister slash person!"

Scott frowned, his lost puppy looking coming on full force. "Wait, all this is because you think I'm on drugs?"

I flapped my arms in exasperation, "Yes!"

His shoulders began to shake and it quickly turned into a full body laugh. He clutched at his stomach, howling with laughter. Other students in the hallway passed us, shooting curious glances at Scott. I scowled at them and their pace quickened, continuing on to their classes. The bell rang and I peaked inside the classroom door as Mr. Henderson started to write on the board. Scott continued to laugh at me and I realized I had been so far off base with my drugs theory, but I just needed to hear it from him.

I reached out, pulling him to me by his arm. "I get it, I'm hilarious. I'll lay off if you promise me, really promise, that you aren't on drugs or involved with drugs."

It was hard to believe just minutes prior I'd been getting yelled at by him in the worst fight we'd ever had. Scott rolled his eyes and pulled me into a hug. "I'm not on drugs Scarlett, or involved with drugs. I swear on my lacrosse stick."

"That's not good enough."

"Uhhh, I swear on Stiles then."

"I'll take it."

The rest of the day passed quickly much to my distain. It was hard to hear about Lydia's party and know that instead of getting cute and dancing with my best friend and new friend, I had to work. The coffee shop I worked a few nights after school at was only a few blocks from school and since Lydia had to go home to immediately exfoliate everything and hide all the good silver, I walked to work.

It was quiet and hardly any customers came in. I perched on a table near the front register, homework spread out. Slow nights sucked, but at least I could usually get through my homework fairly quickly. I glanced up at the clock above the espresso machine. Only seven more minutes and I could start to close. Maybe if I hurried I could even go to the party. I glanced down at my skinny jeans, apron and off the shoulder sweater I'd changed into upon arriving at work. I didn't look party ready, but I was sure Lydia would have something I could wear within minutes of stepping foot in the Martin house. Five more minutes.

My books were stacked on the table and I walked behind the counter, starting to open the espresso machine to clean the grounds out when I heard the bell of the entrance door tinkle. I leaned over the counter, poking my head out as far as I could to see what kind of asshole came in that close to close. I froze and did not return the smile that Matt offered me as he walked towards the counter. Whatever tension I thought there would be when we talked for the first time post-breakup, was non existent, at least on his end. His smile was wide and I quirked an eyebrow as he greeted me, "Hey Scarlett! How's it going?"

I stole a more than obvious glance at the clock, "Alright. Getting ready to close up. You?"

Matt leaned on one arm on the counter, "Pretty good, I'd be better if you went to Lydia's party with me tonight."

I groaned internally as to not release it for him to hear. What part of "I don't want to date you anymore" wasn't clear? I was tempted to ask him that very question, but remembered that I was a new and better Scarlett McCall. She wasn't as rude as she used to be, she was a new and better version. Scarlett 2.0. "Ah, yeah I don't think so Matt. I'm going, but I still feel the same way about us as I did this summer."

The grin disappeared off his face and he straightened up. I could see his jaw tensing as he clenched it. "Fine. I just wanted to ask you before I went to really ask someone to the party. I didn't want you to feel bad for being alone."

He stormed away from the counter and I released the breath I was holding. I hurried behind him to lock the door, I didn't want him coming back in with an apology for his last remark. We'd only dated for five months, but he was hot and cold at the drop of the hat. I got over my infatuation with him quickly, but it appeared he had not done the same.

Closing and cleaning the machine was a breeze. I left a note for the opener apologizing for not mopping the floors and ran outside just as the bus was pulling up at the stop. I fussed with my hair and makeup the entire bus ride to the stop half a block from Lydia's. The curls I'd done for school were more like waves, but my makeup was fine after a dusting of powder. There were dozens of people scattered on the Martin household lawn and several called out to me as I walked up the driveway. I waved and hoped I could sneak up and change before too many people saw me.

"Scarlett!" Allison was weaving through the crowd of gyrating couples, a worried look on her face. "Have you seen Scott? He just ran off while we were dancing!"

I frowned, scanning the group of teens in the immediate area and not locating him. Allison was worriedly clutching my arm and I offered a comforting smile, "He's probably around here somewhere. I'll check in here if you check outside?"

"Thank you! It was going to well! We were dancing and oh god, I think I really like him," she paused, "Do you want to know all this since he's your brother?"

The hesitant look on her face made me laugh, "I think you two would be a super cute couple and I am your friend, so yes!" I spied Stiles with a group of people and figured that would be a good place to check for Scott. Allison opened the front door and disappeared onto the front yard while I made my way to the hallway where I'd seen Stiles. I wasn't concerned with Scott running off from Allison, if anything I was amused. He wasn't exactly an experienced dater so him running away while things were heating up seemed legitimate.

Stiles had his back to me when I approached the group, offering them a smile that wasn't returned. I didn't know any of the people he was talking to, but I still smiled warmly at them despite the chilly reception. "Hey Stiles, do you have a sec?"

He jumped at my voice as if I was the last person he expected, but at least he smiled at me. Before he could reply to my question the brunette girl on his right scoffed at me, "Well if Princess Scarlett commands it Stiles, you must go. Wouldn't want to get thrown in whatever dungeon Lydia Martin keeps us common folk in."

Hatred for me poured off his unknown girl towards me and I felt my anger flare up in response, "Excuse me?"

She raised her eyebrows in challenge, "You heard me. You think you can just be a bitch to Stiles all these years and then need him for something? You can't even see what's under your snobby little-"

Stiles raised both of his hands as he stepped between us, "Woah woah woah! Hannah, she asked if she could talk to me, chill."

I felt my mouth run dry as my heart continued to pound furiously with the adrenaline of confrontation. Hannah, as Stiles had called her looked put out at being told to chill, but was still glaring daggers at me. Is this what people thought of me? Of Lydia? I felt my chest tighten and the room seemed to narrow. I swallowed thickly as tears pricked my eyes as I scanned for an escape. All I could see were faces I didn't know. What if everyone at this party thought Lydia and I were horrible people? The indignation I felt for us was pushed away by the nagging whisper I'd had plaguing me all week, telling me it was true. We were horrible people. I could hear Stiles calling my name as I rushed passed him, the reason I needed him in the first place forgotten.

I ran up the stairs with ease despite the ever tightening feeling in my chest constricting my breathing. I wrenched open the door to Lydia's room, managing to bark, "Get out!" at the couple currently making out on her bed. They ran passed me and I squeezed my eyes shut, dropping to the floor. I couldn't breathe and I began to gasp for air. My fingers clawed into the plush carpet on her floor and I heard my name being called again, this time with concern. The bedroom door shut loudly and suddenly Stiles was kneeling in front of me.

"I can't….I can't breathe," I gasped.

"Okay…okay! You're having a panic attack, I used to get these all the time, remember?" I nodded furiously. I was going to die from lack of oxygen. Nobody would miss me. My breathing struggles increased and Stiles placed his hands on top of mine. "You're fine. Just try to breathe. In and out." he coached.

I shook my head, crying fully now. "I can't…I'm an awful person."

He seemed bewildered at my statement, then jumped slightly as if remembering. "You mean what Hannah said?" I nodded, "You're not a horrible person! You just hang out with a different crowd nowadays!"

Stiles continued, "You were concerned about Scott being lost in the woods and you helped me look for him! You make your mom dinner and take it to her at work sometimes right? Horrible people don't do stuff like that!"

I did do that for my Mom frequently and thinking about it made my breathing slow slightly. Stiles was encouraged by it and continued, "You always help Lydia clean up after these parties! You made friends with Allison because you wanted to, not because you had to! You're my friend Scarlett, I wouldn't be here if you were horrible."

In and out. In and out. I could breathe almost normally and I had stopped crying. Stiles still thought of me as his friend, even though we hadn't hung out in ages. Even though his friends thought I was a snob. I opened my eyes and Stiles was inches from me, hazel eyes wide with concern. I could feel him tracing soft circles on the back of my hands and a warm feeling rushed through me. Stiles wouldn't lie. I didn't have to be best friends with him to remember the kind of person he was deep down. I swallowed, nodding at him. "Thank you."

He nodded and sat back on his heels. "No problem. You helped me a lot with them when we were younger. I was hoping that would work."

I leaned back onto the ground, still catching my breath. I turned my head to look at him, "Counting to ten right?"

He smiled, "Yeah!"

I patted the ground beside me and he hesitantly sprawled out on the carpet beside me. "I've never had a panic attack before. I guess I know what Scott feels like when he has an asthma attack now."

I sat up quickly, "Scott! Have you seen Scott? Allison was looking for him! That's why I wanted to talk to you"

Stiles shot a worried glance out the window of Lydia's bedroom at the full moon then back at me. "He rushed out of here right before you came in. Oh shit, this is bad." He scrambled to his feet, extending a hand and helping me up. He paced for a moment before looking at me, expression grave. The gnawing feeling that had been in my stomach about Scott was returning.

"What's bad? Stiles, tell me the truth!" I demanded.

Stiles licked his lips and took another glance at the window the moon. "Scott's a werewolf."

The bite in the woods, the wolf he heard howling, his newfound lacrosse skills, disappearing in the middle of the night and general being shifty. It only took once more glance at Stiles to confirm it was true, the seriousness on his face was too real to be a trick. My twin brother was a werewolf. Oh shit is right.

**AN: So many new followers/favorites! Hello everyone! I love you all! I hope you're enjoying Edge of Seventeen so far and I would LOVE any feedback HINT HINT WINK WINK :) **


	6. Chapter Six

My brother was a werewolf. The knowledge pulsed through my brain seemingly in beat with the loud EDM music playing downstairs. I tried to reason that it wasn't possible, but my heart told me otherwise, as did the look of sheer panic on Stiles' face. I couldn't remember anything about werewolves in that moment besides that eighties movie with Michael J. Fox surfing on top of a vehicle. Clearly that wasn't going to be of use in this moment unless Scott rode up to the Martin home on a big yellow bus.

"So what do we do?" I asked.

He ran a hand down his face, closing his eyes briefly in thought. Stiles nodded firmly to himself, "We go find him and go from there."

His hand clasped around mine as he pulled me toward's the door to head downstairs. Hopefully Scott was easy to find and not running around town covered in hair. Would he be covered in hair? The heat of all the bodies packed tightly together dancing made my head spin as Stiles pulled me towards the door. A blur of red hair appeared in front of Stiles, halting his quick pace. I crashed into his back, unable to catch myself on the sudden stop. Peaking over his shoulders I gave a weak smile to the last person we needed to see at the moment.

Lydia stood before us, arms crossed over her chest, leveling us with a look that was pure contempt.

"What the hell is this?"

Cracking a grin, Stiles tried to make a joke. "A uh, rocking party!"

He gave a few awkward fist pumps in the air to the beat and failed to distract Lydia. Her eyes were zeroed in on his left hand, still clasped around mine. I hastily wrenched my hand out of his and stepped in front of Stiles. If Scott was out there wolfed out or whatever, we didn't have time to be chatting casually.

"Stiles was helping me find Allison and Scott. This is a great party Lyds. Can we talk after we find them?" I gave a little dance and attempted to slip past her, but she stayed firmly planted in our way. For being so small, the girl was a force to be reckoned with.

"Your brother blew whatever miracle chance he had with Allison. He just drove off and ditched her! She left with Derek Hale a coupe of minutes ago and now you're trying to leave!"

Despite the furious look she was giving me, I could tell she hurt by her friends leaving the party. It was all she'd talked about for the last few days and here I was bailing out on her. I couldn't just explain to her what was happening, it wasn't my secret to share.

The loud, distinct sound of something hitting the hardwood floors and shattering caught my ears and I knew Lydia had heard it too. Her head snapped in the direct of the noise, eyes narrowing to locate what had broken and the party goer who was about to be very very sorry. I saw my opportunity and took it. I reached behind and fisted a handful of Stile's shirt, dragging him around Lydia and out the door before she could even realize we had moved.

The night air was a welcome relief as we ran to the blue Jeep parked down the street. Stiles started the engine, peeling out off the curb and towards my house. "I figure he'd go home right?" he thought aloud.

I nodded absentmindedly, surveying the interior of the Jeep I'd seen so many times in my driveway. CD cases littered the floor along with many orange candy wrappers I suspected of being from Reese's. Pieces of lacrosse stick net were clinging to the seat and I peeled them off, tossing them in the backseat. I saw Stiles glance at me quickly, but he said nothing. It wasn't the nicest car, but it was very much Stiles, or at least what I remembered him being like anyway. I wrinkled my nose at the faint smell of curly fries and tapped my fingers nervously on my knees.

"So how did you get to the werewolf conclusion? Is he going to be a full on wolf when we get there?" I questioned. The more I thought about it, the more worried I was.

Stiles was also tapping his long fingers out of nerves on the steering wheel. "I don't know! Scott and I were just joking about him being bitten by a werewolf, but then it all started to point to it! So I Googled it and fell down that rabbit hole. Dude's a werewolf!"

"I just…I can't believe it," I saw him clench his jaw a few times and I continued, "I believe you Stiles! I just can't believe this!" I waved my hands for emphasis

"Well believe it babe. Inside that house is a potential killing machine," he pointed up at my house as we pulled to a stop.

Mom's car that Scott had borrowed was practically on the lawn, parked in haste. He hadn't even bothered closing the car door. I scrambled out of the Jeep, running up the driveway with Stiles on my heels. Whatever bravery I'd tried to muster in the car had disappeared and my hand hesitated over the doorknob. I looked up at Stiles who wasn't looking much better than I was. He swallowed thickly, nodding quickly as I pushed the door open.

"Scott?" I called into the darkness.

A thump overhead startled me, a small shriek escaping my mouth. Stiles ran up the stairs, calling out to Scott. I clutched at the front of my sweater in fear, willing myself to get it together. It felt like my heart was trying to beat out of my chest with fear. My brother needed me and I was acting like a weak little girl. I was not that girl. Scarlett McCall is a strong, independent woman like her mother. After a deep breath, I bolted up the stairs after Stiles.

He was leaning against Scott's door pounding on it furiously. "Let me in Scott! I can help-"

"Go away!" Scott's pained shout cut Stiles off.

"Scott, please!" I shouted, banging on the door.

"Scarlett! Stiles, get her out of here! Go find Allison and take her home!"

I leaned on the door, pressing my face against the wood. I could practically feel Scott doing the same thing on the other side.

"Allison got a ride home and I'm not leaving you here alone. Stiles couldn't get me out of the house if he wanted to," I said softly.

The bedroom door opened a crack, but Scott's body kept it firmly that way. I exchanged a glance with Stiles and we both realized we were getting closer to him opening that door.

"Stiles, I think I know who it is."

"Just let us in and we can talk," Stiles tried, but the door stayed firmly cracked an inch.

"It's Derek. Derek Hale's the werewolf. He's the one who bit me. He's the one who killed that girl in the woods."

I pulled back from the door swiftly, my heart resuming the rapid pounding out of fear. One look at Stiles and I knew he felt the same way, he ran a hand over his buzzed hair in worry.

"Scott…Derek is the one who drove Allison home from the party," he said slowly. I'd made a new friend and now she was out there with a homicidal werewolf.

"Scott?" I questioned, leaning against the door again, but this time there was no resistance. I stumbled into Scott's room with a shriek. The cool breeze drifted in from the open window in the middle of the room, blowing my hair around my face. Scott was gone. I whirled to face Stiles, eyebrows laced together with concern.

"He just jumped out the fucking window! We need to go to Allison's," I cried.

Stiles agreed, but the two of us had no idea where she lived. Lydia was probably not in a helpful mood and I couldn't blame her. I remembered that Scott had picked her up for the party and realized there must be an address somewhere that he used. We searched his room and came up empty handed. I looked out his open window at the large full moon shining into his room.

"What about the car?" Stiles questioned. We both ran down the stairs and out onto the lawn. I crawled across the driver's seat and sitting on the floor of the passenger's seat was her address. I brandished the slip of notebook paper like a trophy and got into the Jeep.

Allison lived fairly close to Lydia's neighborhood I realized as we entered the complex. I double checked the house number on the paper before we approached the large front doors. Stiles knocked and rang the doorbell several times in a row, stopping only when I covered the doorbell with my hand.

"I don't want my new friend and her family to think I'm a crazy pants obsessively ringing the doorbell." I rolled my eyes at him just as the front door opened to reveal the sternest looking woman with red hair I had ever seen.

Stiles opened his mouth and it had to have been something insane coming out, so I clamped a hand over his mouth too. The woman in the doorway frowned at us and I smiled, "Hi! Sorry about the doorbell, he's got ADD. Is Allison home?"

She didn't looked like she wanted to tell us, but she glanced over her shoulder quickly before resuming her glare. "Allison?" she called. Seconds later, Allison appeared on the balcony of the second floor. I felt Stiles sigh in relief against my hand and I mimicked him. Thank God she wasn't werewolf chow.

"Scarlett? Hey!" she smiled, jogging down the staircase towards us. Allison came up behind the red haired woman and gave her a pointed, almost pleading look. It was one a teenage daughter gave her Mom when she wanted her to go away. "Mom? I got it." she whined slightly and I had been correct in my guess.

Mrs. Argent didn't move from the doorway, still staring at Stiles and I with contempt. It was safe to assume I wasn't going to be at the Argent house for a sleepover anytime soon.

"Hi Mrs. Argent. I'm Scarlett McCall, I have a few classes with Allison." I introduced, sticking my right hand out to shake. Her eyebrows raised as she shook my hand firmly, and I returned it. Mom had said a handshake is an impression of what kind of person they are, so I was not going to back down in front of Mrs. Argent.

"Nice to meet you Scarlett." She withdrew her hand with a small smile, her gaze focusing on Stiles. I removed my hand hastily from his mouth, sheepishly smiling at Allison.

"Stiles Stilinski," he thrust out a hand. I snorted into my hand as Mrs. Argent shook his hand so roughly his entire arm shook. Confident that she'd scared us to death, or something like that, Mrs. Argent retreated into the house.

"What are you guys doing here?" Allison asked, leaning on her doorframe.

"Scott," Stiles blurted out and I suppressed the urge to clap a hand over his mouth again.

Allison's expression tango'd between angry and concerned, finally settling on angry. "What about him? Did you ever find him after I left?"

I didn't blame her for being mad in the least. I'd never been stood up on a date before, but it had to be embarrassing. "Yes! He went home sick and tried to come back to the party, but ended up passing out at home," I lied, trying to look at genuine as possible.

"Food poisoning!" Stiles added and I nodded.

Allison's anger faded, "Is he going to be okay?"

The worry was evident in her tone and I nodded, "He'll be at school on Monday. He said he's really sorry for leaving you there."

She seemed to accept that answer, "Me too. Tell him I said to feel better."

Stiles saluted her and she rolled her eyes at him, giving me a pointed look. I shook my head, shrugging as I waved goodbye to her. "Text me tomorrow! We both have some groveling to do to Lydia and I think sushi is in order!"

Her eyes grew wide upon remembering her other new friend, "Oh shit." she breathed and nodded.

I walked down the driveway with Stiles, sliding back into the passenger seat of the Jeep with a sigh. Stiles looked equally as exhausted, leaning his head back on his seat.

"So Allison is okay, what do we do about Scott?"

"We drive till we find him," he said steadily. The Jeep roared to life again as we slowly drove through Beacon Hills. The first two hours we drove in silence, windows down. The cold breeze kept us alert and scanning for my shaggy haired brother. My heart couldn't take anymore worrying about Scott and I needed to think about something else.

"Why does the name Derek Hale sound so familiar?" I asked.

"His family died in that huge fire remember? He's a couple years older than us," Stiles reminded. I couldn't get an image of Derek Hale in my head, but a shy little girl with brown hair came to mind.

I felt pangs of guilt and sadness upon realizing who the girl was. "Cora. Cora Hale. She was his sister and I used to take ballet with her," I breathed.

"I can't believe I forgot about her."

The words of the girl at the party crept into my mind. I might not be a horrible person, but I had certainly neglected people in my life.

"Stop that," snapped Stiles. I was startled by his tone and shifted in my seat to look at him.

"You're tearing yourself down. I can tell. I forgot about Cora too. I think we all did."

I continued to lean sideways towards Stiles as we drove. I couldn't remember when he'd stopped having longer hair and starting buzzing it, but I was overcome with the urge to touch it. I resisted, shaking off my crazy thoughts. I'd spent the last few years so distant from the boy in the driver's seat and for two nights this week I'd ended up spending time with him. Part of me felt like it was weird, but mostly it felt right. Like I'd been able to slip back to a time when we were still good friends.

His hands tensed on the steering wheel as he peeked at me out of the corner of his eye. "What are you doing?"

"Studying you," I answered simply. His jaw clenched a few times and I smiled at his nervousness. He didn't used to be this jumpy around me and I wondered what had changed.

"Still studying?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Yep," I replied, popping the p. He nodded, licking his lips. A flash of heat jolted through me and I sat up straight, snapping my eyes away from Stiles. What the hell was that? I never expected to have something like that happen while staring at someone who's vehicle reeked of curly fries. I closed my eyes and stuck my head out the window, feeling the cool air on my flushed cheeks.

Thankfully Stiles didn't say anything when I pulled by head back into the car. We drove in silence again till dawn when we passed my coffee shop. I told Stiles to pull over an ran in, grabbing us coffee and some pastries. He smiled gratefully and shoved a piece of a scone into his mouth. "Should we try the Reserve again?" he asked and I agreed.

I had just finished my coffee when the sun rose. I was starting to get nervous for where Scott could be, or what he could of done when a shirtless figure came into view ahead. Stiles speed up and pulled up along side him.

"Scott!" we shouted in unison. I scrambled into the backseat as my brother wearily got into the Jeep.

"Dude!" Stiles exclaimed, slapping Scott on the shoulder. I hugged Scott from behind the seat, marveling at how warm he was for being bare chested out in the woods.

"Are you okay? Do you remember what happened?" I peppered him with questions.

He didn't answer right away and I was okay with that. I still hadn't let go of Scott and I didn't plan on it till we got home. I'd spent two years taking him for granted and it was never going to happen again.


End file.
